So this is actually a very difficult article to write! I want to let everyone know about an experience I had at Americas Escape Game Orlando, but don’t want to give away all of the details! While not necessarily something that I did with my immediate family, my Rollins Crummer Crew wanted to have a unique social outing combined with a team building exercise. We meet quite often for school projects, and my Crummer Crew family has quickly become my support system as well as valued friends. I consider each one of them family so why not write about this pretty awesome experience on my family oriented website?

So just a bit of background before I jump right into the review of Americas Escape Game Orlando. You may have already guessed I’m a graduate student and spend just as much time with my school family as my wife and little guys. We’re all extremely smart people and work very well together. Each of us brings a unique perspective to our team dynamic! I could easily consider them a group of people I wouldn’t mind getting stuck on a deserted island with. So with that being said, I reached out to Americas Escape Game Orlando to do just that! Well not so much an island, but managed to get locked in a room together. We arranged for a chance to play in exchange for an honest review and write up.

The Caretaker Room

Ok, so we didn’t really lock ourselves in a room (that’s technically against the law in Florida to lock someone in a room, even if they are OK with it), but we did voluntarily jump into Americas Escape Game Orlando to try our hand at the “Caretaker” room. I went into this experience with very few preconceived notions about what an escape room or escape game was. I was amazed at just how much fun and excitement we had while trying to figure our way out! The main point of Americas Escape Room Orlando is to be immersed in a room where you need to complete puzzles in order to work your way through a storyline. You have specific goals as well as a time limit. There are multiple rooms to choose from depending on the number of people in your party as well as difficulty level.

So what exactly do you do at Americas Escape Room Orlando? Well it’s a bit of a cross between the Hunger Games (without the violence), CSI, and Survivor. Each room has a brief intro video to give a bit of a back story, but once you are in the room, you are immersed in a sensory rich environment. You also have a game keeper (hence the Hunger Games connection) that watches you on cameras to see how you’re doing and provide up to three clues to help you along the way. Believe me you’ll need the clues! A gentleman by the name of Ladrez was our game keeper and really made the experience fun and interactive!

Once you’re in the room, you have to solve puzzles in order to unlock sequences in the game. It’s not always a numbers thing, and was surprised at just how much thought went into the design of the Caretaker room at Americas Escape Game Orlando. It’s tough to really explain the puzzle parts without giving away any clues, but just know that you’ll need to rely on teamwork in order to work through the clues to work your way through the story line. Some of the puzzles were very difficult and reminded me of the many puzzles I have seen on Big Brother or Survivor over the years.

You’ll definitely need some help via clues from the game keeper!

So would Americas Escape Game Orlando be considered family friendly? Yes! That is for older kids. You certainly don’t want to bring toddlers or very young ones, but would certainly think that children above the ages of 10 or would be fine to bring depending on the storyline you choose. You ideally want them to be able to contribute to the puzzle solving process. One of my teammates is generally a very “jumpy” person who startles easily. This actually made the game more exciting, but wasn’t actually scary!

Instead of bringing the entire family, I would recommend Americas Escape Room Orlando as a double date night activity! Book the room with people you know and generally get along very well with. The more varied the group is the better chances you will escape. This activity is also a great work team building exercise. Remember the old days of “ropes courses”? Forget those, try Americas Escape Game Orlando instead! You’ll really get to know how to interact with those around you when you’re working together to find a way out! The rooms vary slightly in price, but you can count on around $35 per person. If you’re looking to save some cash, be sure to check Groupon, as I have seen up to 30% off coupons for Americas Escape Game Orlando to bring down the cost.

Overall we had an incredible its working together! Unfortunately we didn’t complete the puzzles and escape, but we did get to use some of our team building skills and check one more think off our bucket lists! Don’t worry if you don’t escape, it’s more about the experience than the success of your mission! We’re looking forward to another escape room experience in the near future!

Want a few hints on how to love the puzzles of Americas Escape Game Orlando’s Caretaker room?

First, be sure to hit up the restroom BEFORE you attempt the room.

While in the room embrace your surroundings and the back story. Pretend you are really in this situation!

Clues don’t require brawn, just brains!

Leadership is key! Pick a group leader before you enter the room.

Work in groups within the room, you’ll accomplish much more!

Don’t be afraid to switch with other group members if a puzzle is getting the best of you!